Footwear, such as shoes, sneakers, sandals or the like, typically is comprised of a sole and an upper, the upper for covering some or part of the foot of the wearer. The upper, especially in sandals or the like, typically has straps for overlapping the foot of the wearer and attaching one to the other for securing the footwear to the foot of the wearer. The straps are typically connected by a variety of means such as eyelets and lacing, snaps or Velcro.RTM. fasteners. Typically, some means for joining one strap to the other are provided, which straps must be functionally efficient and aesthetically pleasing.
Heretofore, prior art has illustrated straps being typically of sheet-like members, tabular and, typically, having a longitudinal axis with the thickness of the strap being only a small fraction of the length and width dimensions. Prior art joinder means have been provided for connecting the first strap to a second strap, typically by overlapping; the overlapped straps joined one to the other through the use of a Velcro.RTM. fastener. The Velcro.RTM. fastener is comprised of a pile section which releasably attaches to a loop section in a manner well known in the art. On the footwear securement straps, which typically overlap, the upper strap would carry one of the Velcro.RTM. mating surfaces on the underside thereof and the second strap, the lower strap, would carry the second Velcro.RTM. mating surface on the upper surface thereof. The straps overlap and the Velcro.RTM., pressed together, provides a releasable attachment for the straps, which in turn hold the footwear to the foot of the wearer.
Such a Velcro.RTM.-type footwear securement means is well known in the art. Further, overlapping straps are also utilized with male/female snap members to snap the straps one to the other to secure the footwear to the foot of the wearer. Straps utilized in helping secure footwear to the foot of the wearer are illustrated in the following U.S. Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,297, for CINCHING CLOSURE, issued to Famolare, Jr. on Sep. 19, 1978.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,075, for SPORT SANDAL FOR ACTIVE WEAR, issued to Thatcher on Dec. 27, 1988.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,216, for SINGLE POINT TRIANGULAR ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM FOR SANDALS, issued to Sargeant on Jul. 20, 1993.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,767, for SANDAL HAVING ADJUSTABLE STRAPS, issued to Stein on Aug. 8, 1995.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,610 (Dassler 1971) illustrates an athletic shoe having at least one strap extending across the division on its upper, the strap having a first Velcro.RTM. mating surface on the underside thereof for attachment to a sheet-like member having a second Velcro.RTM. mating surface on the upper surface thereof. The athletic shoe disclosed can be, then, secured to the foot of the athlete without using the typical laces and eyelet system.
No particular means are illustrated in the '610 patent for attaching the Velcro.RTM. tape to the underside of the straps. The Velcro.RTM. is described in the '610 Patent as a self-adhering fastener consisting of a tape having a warped thread fastener of multifilar synthetics and a tape with a multitude of small barbs of monofilar warped threads. The Velcro.RTM. fastener is self-adhering--meaning, when pressed together, it removably fastens one Velcro.RTM. tape (multifilar) to a second (monofilar barbs).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,297 discloses a cinch-type closure on athletic footwear consisting of a strap having a Velcro.RTM. sheet attached to the underside thereof for securing, over top of a typical eyelet and lace closure system, to a sheet-like member with Velcro.RTM. tape on the upper side thereof. Thus, the strap is overlapped and the cooperative cinching elements are used to snugly secure the footwear to the foot of the user. The '297 Patent illustrates no particular means for attaching the Velcro.RTM. pads to the strap.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,075 illustrates a novel sandal having a number of retention straps which are joined by self-adhesive type Velcro.RTM. pads. The '075 Patent teaches sewing the hook pad to the distal end of a strap and sewing the loop pad to a central portion of the same strap for removably fastening the two portions of the strap one to another.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,216 (Sargeant 1993) discloses a novel sports sandal having a number of Velcro.RTM. connected straps. The Velcro.RTM.-bearing straps are adjustable to the foot of the wearer for securement, one to the other in a manner well known in the trade. However, no particular means are illustrated in the '216 Patent for attaching the Velcro.RTM. pads to the strap itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 5, 438,767 (Stein 1995) illustrates a sandal having a number of straps, the straps having Velcro.RTM. mating surfaces stitched to one side thereof. The '767 Patent appears to show stitching (see FIG. 2) through the strap and into the Velcro.RTM. mating surface for holding the Velcro.RTM. pads.